Uploading multiple email addresses to a mailing list

You can quickly populate a mailing list by uploading a list of email addresses from another source such as a spreadsheet or another system. If you choose to upload a list, you will have the opportunity to delete any email addresses and refine your mailing list before sending any emails.

First, a quick reminder about consent. You must ensure that you have had explicit permission from each subscriber before adding them to your email list. For more information about consent, click here.

The first step you'll need to take is to download the list from your email account, CMS or mailing list provider. Alternatively you can create an upload file yourself by cutting and pasting addresses. More detailed instructions on both can be found below. Once you have this file you can upload the emails in a single click.

Download a mailing list from an email account, CMS or mailing list provider

We support the import of any CSV export file that contains email addresses. However if you would also like to import first and last names, there are a few other steps to consider.

Outlook

Find the email export option for your version of Outlook. Save as outlook CSV format.

Gmail

Switch from "Email" view to "Contacts" view by clicking "Email" in the top left hand corner of the screen (under the Google logo) and choosing "Contacts". Next click the "More" drop-down menu on the screen and select "Export".

Select the contact group you would like to export (if any) and then choose to export your file as "Outlook CSV format"

Mailchimp

Simply download the mailing list of your choice. We fully support Mailchimp download files in an unchanged format, so you just need to download it from Mailchimp and use it as is.

Do this by clicking on the 'Lists' tab in Mailchimp, then find the list you want to export, click on the list name (not the tickbox next to it), and it should take you inside the list. There's a grey button marked 'Export List' which will allow you to export the list. This will export the active subscribers only. If you also need to export unsubscribed subscribers, click on the 'All subscribers' dropdown which gives you extra choices.

One possible complication with Mailchimp is that it may 'zip' your CSV file download. If the file you download has .zip at the end of it, this has happened, and you'll have to click into the zip folder to retrieve the actual CSV file, and save it onto your desktop to upload it to interests.me.

CMS

Your CMS software should have a contacts export option. Download the file, choosing CSV or "Comma delimited CSV file" if available. To ensure compatibility, open the file as a spreadsheet (for example, using Excel) and follow the instructions below (Create an import file from scratch), renaming the heading columns and removing unnecessary columns.

Create an import file from scratch

You can create an export file using spreadsheet software. Create three columns and title them email, first_name, last_name

Cut and past your emails into this spreadsheet. It can be as long as you like. If you don't have first or last names, leave them blank.

When you are ready, choose to save this file as a CSV file. If given the choice, select to make this file comma delimited. This means that a comma is used to separate the email, first name, and last name.

Save this file somewhere handy. If you open it in a text editor, it should look like this:

Upload your addresses into a mailing list

Open the Mailing Lists page on interests.me. Choose the mailing list that you'd like to import the email addresses into, or create a new mailing list. Once you are inside the correct mailing list, click the Bulk upload button. You will see a warning message, reminding you that you must ensure that you have had explicit permission from each subscriber before adding them to your email list.

Finishing up

Once the email address have been imported they will appear on the screen. You can now review the list and delete any emails that have been imported that you do not wish to include in the mailing list. You can do this simply by clicking the trash can icon next to each entry.